Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Des Moines planning commission approves church rezoning request on consent agenda
Loading...
Summary
The Des Moines City Planning and Zoning Commission moved and approved a consent-agenda item April 16 that includes a request from Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, represented by Michael Schmidt, to amend Plan DSM and rezone 3024 52nd Street to allow outdoor accessory uses; the City Council will hold the final hearing.
On April 16 the Des Moines City Planning and Zoning Commission moved and approved on the consent agenda a request from Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, represented by Michael Schmidt, to amend Plan DSM and rezone the property at 3024 52nd Street.
The item sought to change the property's future land-use designation from low-density residential to public/semi-public and to rezone the parcel from N 3 B Neighborhood District to P 2 Public Civic and Institutional District to permit outdoor accessory uses including a prayer garden with a columbarium, meditation space and landscaped walkways. The commission handled the matter on consent; the City Council will hold the public hearing and make the final decision.
A member of the public asked whether the change to a 'public' designation would require the church to open the new amenities to the general public. The Committee member answering said the planning documents use the term public/semi-public but clarified that "this is still owned...this is a privately owned or a church owned facility," adding that the classification is a regulatory category rather than a change in ownership or required public access.
The commission's routine business included a motion to approve the previous meeting's minutes and then a motion to move the consent agenda. The Committee member moved the consent agenda; the Chair called for in-favor votes and stated the motion passed. No roll-call vote tally or abstentions were recorded in the transcript.
Under the commission's rules read at the start of the meeting, applicants receive 10 minutes to present, members hear proponents followed by opponents, and applicants are allowed five minutes of rebuttal. The commission serves in an advisory capacity; per the Chair's opening remarks, the City Council will make final determinations on items other than certain site plans and subdivisions unless appealed.
The meeting included no separate public hearing on this item at the commission level and concluded after the consent-agenda vote. No staff report details, dates for the City Council hearing, or a recorded roll-call vote were provided in the transcript.
